Racists at the Theatre

[juice4]

I just have to get this off my chest. I'm actually still shaking from the incident. My girlfriend and I went to go see a movie at our local AMC. We were there pretty early, so the theatre was pretty empty and filled up slowly until previews started. That's when an old rich white couple came in looking for seats. There were two seperated seats next to us (a woman was splitting them up) one of which we used to place our jackets. The couple walked over, simply stated : "Oh, there's two seats here" The lady sitting moved over to let them sit. My girlfriend started to move our jackets grabbing hers first at which time the woman became extremely impatient, grabbed my jacket and tossed it at her face yelling: "You shouldn't be taking up extra seats"

We told her we were happy to move our jackets and that she shouldn't touch other people's belongings in the way that she did when her husband told me to shut up Charlie.

We continued a yelling fit, at which time we chose to leave unable to sit next to such bigots. The management told us that these things happen quite often, and that he regretted that off duty officers weren't around today to deal with the situation.

Consolation was 2 free passes to replace the movie we missed, and 2 more for our next visit.

On this, the 2nd day of the New Year. What a way to start it off.

[s1eve]

Ur, why are they racists? It just sounds like an fussy old couple who thought you were taking up extra seats. You should've just moved to a different row.

[juice4]

The fact that he told me to shut up Charlie, and the fact that the lady had grabbed our stuff and threw it in my girlfriend's face?

Guess you had to be there.

[kusojiji]

You should have sat right behind them and spoken as loudly as possible all through the movie.

[eos]

Originally Posted by juice4

We continued a yelling fit, at which time we chose to leave unable to sit next to such bigots. The management told us that these things happen quite often, and that he regretted that off duty officers weren't around today to deal with the situation.

Consolation was 2 free passes to replace the movie we missed, and 2 more for our next visit.

On this, the 2nd day of the New Year. What a way to start it off.

quite often? off duty cops to handle the situation? what is this, the theater from hell?

i hate seat-kickers, but you should have sat behind them and kicked them every so often. talking would have made other patrons unhappy and this situation called for a centralized annoyance.

[Chester]

It's probably a relatively safe assumption that "Charlie" had an anti-Asian, uh, slant to it...hence "racist".

Glad to hear the manager took care of you as best as he could. Glad you didn't pull any childish revenge tactics since that would retroactively justify their initial offense in their eyes and everyone around you. Plus, what's the point of sitting through a movie when all you're doing is focusing on behaving like a vengeful eight-year-old?

It was bullshit for the wife to react impatiently and totally unjustified for the husband to make a racist crack. In those situations, I find the most effective thing to do is to play dumb and ask him, in a loud voice, to repeat himself. Then he has to either repeat a racist comment that he probably will regret the instant he has to repeat it in front of a suddenly interested crowd, or he'll have to deny it. And if he does the latter, you can suddenly recall precisely what he said and ask him -- because you're just wondering -- if, by "Charlie" he meant to make a racist, anti-Vietnamese/Asian reference to you.

And then he has to choose to deny again in order to save face or to affirm for everyone watching that he's a racist. Either way, everyone's going to think he's an asshole and this will be a result of nothing but his own actions.

Finally: Unless the theater is largely empty, I don't think you should have stuff laid out on other seats. As soon as it starts to fill up to the extent that other people might logically want to sit in those seats, you should keep them completely clear without being asked to do so. Basic courtesy.

[Irezumi Kiss]

Originally Posted by Chester

Unless the theater is largely empty, I don't think you should have stuff laid out on other seats. As soon as it starts to fill up to the extent that other people might logically want to sit in those seats, you should keep them completely clear without being asked to do so. Basic courtesy.

That would be the best etiquette, but usually (around here at least) people leave their jackets & bags on the empty seat right next to theirs. People coming in will look for the most available seat that has space around them to do the same. Only when it's obvious the joint's gonna be packed and people are gonna sit next to me no matter what do I bother moving my stuff. 99% of the time, people always avoid sitting next to anyone else until they's gots to.

Not totally racism with my experiences, but people continually piss me off in movie theaters. Like maybe 90% of the time no matter where I go, no matter what movie I bother to see, even if it's some obscure Merchant-Ivory 4-hour shit on the illicit rusty razor blade trade in Singapore, I seem to be a magnet for attracting freaks and idiots with broken lightbulbs for brains.

I went to go see "Secret Window" a few weeks after it came out, on my off day, just before doing my usual pub crawl. Theatre is moderately large, one where there is an aisle down an offset middle and seating on either side, more seating towards your right side. It's not packed at all, but most of the choicer seats in the middle are already taken so I pick a close to the aisle seat on the edge of the left side, second seat in. My screen vantage is perfect.

Halfway thru the trailers, two middle-aged women (white) decide to sit in the row I'm in, right next to me. Why they choose my row when there's plenty of even better seating for two people, I have NO fucking idea. But I remove my jacket and bag for them. Then, maybe ten or so minutes into the last trailer and towards the start of the flick, I can feel the woman closest to me continuously stealing glances at me. Finally, she asks me, "can you move down one seat?"

I decline to do so. I'm very happy with my seat and they don't have another person joining them. This apparently wasn't the answer she was expecting, because she keeps on trying to get me to move just so she could have a space barrier between me and her. And it's not so much what she requested, it's the WAY she was doing it — this whiny, needling, high pitched voice, as if I was causing her PAIN or some fucking shit just by being next to her...and this is while the damn movie is playing!

I told her straight up with a stone face "I'm not moving, lady. This is the seat I chose for myself. You should've came earlier." And I was so pissed off at her, that that was me struggling in being nice. She shut up then, but the damage was already done. Just having her next to me ruined the loopy vibe of the movie. Because not only that, she had the fucking nerve to talk with her buddy at various moments thru the flick.

Not the first or last time, either. You should've been with me to see "King Kong." I swear I'm gonna go Columbine one of these days.

[returntosender]

juice, reading just made my blood boil.

[koongchiulo]

Yep theres an old F***er at work that occasionally calls me Charlie, and thinks he's actually being quite funny.

I'm quite offended by it. But am afraid of confronting the old sod just in case he has another heart attack(He's already had two at work). And the other bit is that his gad dam son is my manager... so damned if I do damned if I don't.

Charlie Chan is the the asian equiv of the Black Minstrels... where a white man/men dresses up as an ethnic.

So Juice, I know how you feel...

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by returntosender

juice, reading just made my blood boil.

Hehe, I would have said fine and taken a seat right behind the old fucker. Then about midway through the movie i'd give the back of his seat a very hard kick and then leave the theater asap. Or maybe try to find out where their car is and key the bastard. I usually don't agree with immature retaliation but some people just deserve whatever treatment they get.

[juice4]

in retrospect i'm glad i didn't resort to vengeful tactics. i'm sure it would have escalated. (they seemed to be the type to pick a fight) besides, now i have 2 free movies to come!

somehow, i'm always caught off guard when things like this happen. faith in mankind and all that jazz. and i was even more surprised that this happened just a day after the holidays.

people around us were apologetic, despite the fact that they had nothing to do with the situation which helped me not lose all faith in all humanity. but it's starting to get pretty difficult.

on the subject of chair kickers, sometimes i'll turn around if someone's been kicking my seat for a while (i usually only complain if it's ongoing) and i'll get attitude back as if i didn't have a right to. worst is in the summer when people take off their sandals and prop their feet up on the seats.

what's wrong with people?

[returntosender]

Well, if it was me I probably would have made a huge fuss like 'WTF you piece of rat sh*t if you want to sit here just wait till I remove the jacket and then you can set your fat greasy ass down' and then I would have said something like now I can't watching this movie with you ignorant primitive monkeys sitting beside me.

If it was a younger couple I might have actually thrown a punch.

Well, if it was me I probably would have made a huge fuss like 'WTF you piece of rat sh*t if you want to sit here just wait till I remove the jacket and then you can set your fat greasy ass down' and then I would have said something like now I can't watching this movie with you ignorant primitive monkeys sitting beside me.

If it was a younger couple I might have actually thrown a punch.

Then again I'm only saying that from the comfort of my own home so maybe not.

or maybe not.

[tvbdude]

I would've punched the white motherfuckers. I don't tolerate this shit

[Craig]

juice4, are you in the SJ/SF Bay Area ? I encountered some younger white male fuckwads when trying to watch the last Star Wars movie.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by tvbdude

I would've punched the white motherfuckers. I don't tolerate this shit

im with you on this.. i made a new years resolution to be less tolerant of this kind of shit. i started off on nye speaking up about it!
at least the manager was nice.. anybody called me "charlie" or anything like that and it would get ugly. ive made a decision.. pay cash everywhere whenever possible and dont run around with people who will tell anybody anything about you. if you just use cash youre safer because like in this situation, if you had used a card to buy the tickets or anything then they would have your name and info after you gave that fuck a concussion and hauled ass out of the place through the fire exit.